25. Nathan

Chapter 25

Nathan

I paced along the wall of mirrors on the far side of the personal gym that Elliott and Damon built into the tower years ago. The left side of the room had plenty of space for the weight sets, rowing machines, treadmills, and other equipment the two of them used on a regular basis. The remaining two-thirds of the room was open space where they sparred.

A normal gym would've had mats on the floor, but Elliott and Damon weren't even close to normal. Mats probably wouldn't survive a wolf's claws or a demon's scaled hide.

I shook my head and stopped pacing, looking at the metal doors on the opposite end of the room. It'd been longer than five minutes. I wondered if Lorna had changed her mind, not that I could blame her if she did. I'd been cold and harsh to her ever since we found her. I'd accused her of being a spy. I'd argued that she harbored a fae spell that would destroy us. I'd sworn she would be the most effective weapon to tear apart my team and everything I'd built.

Why would she ever trust me when I'd refused to trust her?

I wasn't even sure when I decided to stop fighting fate. Seeing Damon's fierce defense of his mate hadn't convinced me. Seeing Kenrid's smile made me doubt my fears. When he gave up his place with the Exiled fae, risked the ire of his royal family, and dedicated everything to Lorna, I couldn't ignore what should have been obvious all along.

Elliott's wolf may have been the final convincing factor. Wolves did not share their mates. They could reject their mate, but the consequences for the wolf were severe. Fate wouldn't give them another one. Yes, they could find love with someone else who wasn't their mate. But if the one they chose stumbled across their soulmate, they would be forced to choose.

Elliott's acceptance of the situation only secured my belief that fate had bigger plans for Lorna and us. Now that I knew of the dhampir in the Underworld, a shiver of trepidation crawled up my spine. I couldn't begin to guess what the fates had planned. That wasn't true. I had dozens of guesses, and I didn't like any of them.

The worst being that fate was building her own weapon. Us.

It was in our best interest to learn as much as we could about the special connection linking all five of us together. As Lorna had said earlier, we needed to know how volatile our magic was and what we needed to do to contain it. And maybe even harness it.

I also wanted to have an intimate relationship with Lorna. I wasn't ready to give her up, not now that I'd accepted that she was meant for me. I wanted all her attention and the love she so willingly shared with the others. The way she constantly considered their feelings—our feelings—made me want her even more.

Lorna's soft laugh had me turning back to the doorway. Her slender arm was linked with Kenrid's, who graced her with the smile that was hers alone. Elliott dropped back a step to allow them to walk through the door. His eyes drifted down her body, blazing with his desire and possessiveness. Damon smacked him on the shoulder and pushed him into the room.

I met them in the middle of the space, nodding at my team and giving Lorna my full attention. She and I would have to get this started. No, she would have to do it. Biting her when I had no other choice—and not a good choice—was completely different from what we were about to do.

All the reasons I'd stopped taking blood directly from humans rushed through my mind like a bad movie. I despised being a parasite. Before humans developed the technology to store blood, vampires only had two choices: I could take blood from a human either unwillingly or unknowingly, or I could keep thralls.

I'd hated the deception of entrancing a human to bite them. I refused to take anyone's blood by force. Even though thralls offered their blood willingly, they'd been nothing more than pampered slaves.

I wouldn't do any of those things to Lorna.

"So." Lorna slipped her arm away from Kenrid and clasped her hands together. "How do we do this?"

"I'm pretty sure it starts with you and Nathan," Elliott replied from his spot right behind her.

"No kidding." Lorna glanced up and over her shoulder at Elliott. She tried to hide her smile, but it didn't work. He smirked, then blew her a kiss. Lorna blushed and spun back to face me.

She extended her arm to me. "Just like last time?"

I took her trembling fingers in mine and pulled her closer. "I can't force you to do this."

"You're not forcing me to do anything, Nathan."

"It feels like I am." I pressed her palm against my chest. "You're shaking."

Her eyes swirled to black, and a tiny smirk revealed her dhampir .

"Shaking with desire." The edginess of Mir's voice accompanied the scent of her arousal. "You made me feel like a goddess last time. I can't wait to do it again."

I hoped like hell the heat consuming my face was not a blush. I wasn't sure if she was talking about our shared blood or the orgasm I gave her. I froze when her free hand brushed against my arm and made its way to my neck. Her fingers danced along the artery pulsing beneath my skin.

"Can I bite you here?" she whispered. "Or is it too soon?"

My vampire rose to the surface, my fangs scraping my lower lip. Yes, I wanted her mouth on my neck. I buried my fingers in her hair and guided her to my neck. When her lips touched my skin, my already hardening dick stood at attention. Her tiny fangs pierced my skin a moment later, but I couldn't feel the pain .

All I could feel was her sucking my neck and wishing her beautiful mouth was somewhere else. My dick pressed painfully against my zipper, but I wasn't about to move to adjust it. Lorna groaned, and my head leaned to the side, giving her more. I would always give her more.

All too soon, she pulled her mouth from my neck and licked the tiny holes she left behind. I immediately missed the feel of her.

"Your turn."

I forced my eyes open and blinked several times. She hadn't entranced me, had she? I didn't think so. I already knew what her magic felt like. There was nothing between us now other than desire. My breath hitched as I took Lorna in.

Her hazel eyes held my gaze, not with magic, but with the intensity of her desire. For me. Even though the others were in a loose circle around us, Lorna only saw me.

I leaned forward and pressed my lips to hers. She pulled her hand off my chest and slid her arms around my waist. When her tongue swept the edge of my mouth, I welcomed it. I pulled her body against mine, needing her to feel how much I wanted her.

I got lost in our moment of passion until someone beside me cleared their throat. Lorna moaned against my mouth, then nipped my lip before putting space between us. I smiled at her flushed cheeks and swollen lips.

"You can get a room later," Elliott groused.

We would definitely be going back to my room after we tested our magic.

"Sorry," Lorna mumbled, letting her hands trail down my sides.

"I'm not." I lifted one of her hands and kissed her fingers. "But Elliott's right. We're here to test our magic. Are you ready?"

Lorna nodded. "Should we all be touching first? Or do the thing, then touching?"

Kenrid laughed, and Lorna smiled, probably realizing the dual meaning of her questions.

"Let's see what happens first," Damon suggested.

Damon, Kenrid, and Elliott were already less than an arm's length away. It wouldn't take much to reach out to them when the time came.

"Okay." Lorna gave me a determined look.

I brought her wrist to my mouth, kept eye contact with her, and bit her. As soon as her blood rolled down my throat, her magic bloomed. My heart threatened to beat out of my chest. My skin felt tight as my body expanded with the power flooding my veins. I briefly wondered if I'd beat Elliott or Damon in a feat of strength. Something that would never happen without Lorna's magic.

This time I managed to keep from crying out with the influx of power.

I could hear everything: four beating hearts, the rustle of fabric from the men standing next to me. The wind whistled through the stones in the castle's walls. A lizard or something similar skittered along the window ledge outside. All the animals that ventured out at night serenaded each other across the swamp surrounding the fortress. Cars passed on the highway nearly a mile away.

My sense of smell also heightened, but I wasn't sure that was a good thing. While everyone currently surrounding me had recently showered, I could smell what they'd eaten for dinner. Elliott must have traveled through the swamp earlier today because the lingering odor of rot and damp earth clung to his shoes.

I wrinkled my nose and turned to Elliott, but I didn't get a chance to comment. Kenrid reached out and touched Lorna. As soon as his hand wrapped around her arm, his magic radiated around us. Just like the shield he'd created at the warehouse, bands of color swirled like a magical tornado. Kenrid's eyes glowed, changing from emerald green to shimmering silver.

"I can't take anymore," Kenrid said, gritting his teeth. "Not without using a spell to dissipate it."

"I got it," Elliott said.

He snagged Lorna's free hand and yelped. His body immediately started to shift to his wolf. Fur sprouted along his arms, shoulders, and neck. Elliott's t-shirt ripped in several places before losing the fight with his growing body. I watched with wide-eyed wonder as his face morphed into his wolf, but he stayed upright on two feet. His chest heaved with each breath he pulled into his lungs. His panicked eyes searched Lorna's face.

I couldn't imagine how he felt. Only half of his body shifted. He still wore blue jeans and boots, so his bottom half must still be human. His wolf was clearly on the edge of breaking. Elliott's body tremored, and his shifter magic surged around us.

"Hold on, Elliott," Damon said.

He embraced his demon form and wrapped all of us in his wingspan. His heavy magic blanketed the room in darkness. Even Kenrid's blinding light disappeared. Elliott's breathing and heart rate slowed—not normal but not out of control. The power pulsing through my veins no longer felt like it would burst through my skin. Damon's glowing scales illuminated our huddle.

Elliott leaned on Damon's shoulder, no longer a wolf. Kenrid still held Lorna's arm, but Damon was obviously supporting his weight. At some point, Lorna had laced her fingers with mine and pressed her body flush against my chest. She wasn't looking at me, though. Her attention jumped between Elliott and Kenrid.

"Are you guys okay?" Her voice quivered, and I squeezed her hand, trying to reassure her.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure I want to try that again," Elliott replied. "Not today anyway."

"I agree." Kenrid stood so he wasn't leaning back against Damon. "Last time, we redirected all that magic into my shield. With nowhere for it to go, I felt like I'd be torn apart."

I looked up at Damon, meeting his demon's intense gaze. His full demon, not the one he normally reserved for us. "Did you absorb all that magic?"

"Yes." Damon pulled his wings back and tucked them against his shoulders, exposing the room once again. "The runes covering my body are designed to siphon most types of magic. You should know that what you just created was stronger than the fae queens."

I let the weight of his words settle in. We were stronger than the fae queens.

My thoughts from earlier about the fates having a plan for us resurfaced. While we might be intimidated by our strength now, I suspected we'd need to find a way to make it work for us.

As much as I wanted to believe that the fae would keep their oaths, my gut said they'd find a way around it. Power-hungry individuals didn't lose interest in gaining more power. They just found a different way to make it happen .

"My wolf needs to run," Elliott said, interrupting my thoughts.

"Do you need someone to go with you?" Damon asked.

Elliott looked from Damon to Lorna, then to me. Shades of blue still swirled in his eyes, like his wolf was barely under control. Damon was right; Elliott didn't need to run alone. He needed a pack, but we were all he had. As his leader, I should be the one running with him.

"I'll go," I offered.

"His wolf might also need to fight," Damon said.

I frowned, knowing that Damon was much better at dominating Elliott's wolf. Before I could agree or disagree, Elliott pulled Lorna from me. His magic blanketed her, and he pressed his cheek against her neck. I beat back my desire to tear her away from him; Elliott needed his mate. He needed the physical reassurance that only she could give him.

"I'm sorry, Elliott," Lorna mumbled, holding him tight.

"Don't you dare try to blame yourself," he growled. "I wasn't prepared to fight against my wolf. I'll know better next time." He released her and gave her a pained smile. "I'll see you soon."

"Be careful." Lorna's soft plea made my chest ache.

"Always. Besides, the big guy will protect me from the boogie man."

Damon rolled his eyes before leaning down and kissing Lorna's forehead. "We'll be gone for a couple of hours, but I'll come find you when we get back."

I almost argued that he wouldn't take her from me, but I kept my mouth closed. She didn't belong to me. Not only me.

Damon and Elliott left, and Kenrid pulled Lorna into another hug. She sighed as his fae magic wrapped around her, just like Elliott's shifter magic had. I would've been jealous, but neither of them could share what she and I shared.

"Are you okay?" Kenrid asked. "Is Mir okay? "

"Yeah. I actually feel kind of good right now." She looked over her shoulder at me. "Could we redirect the magic into a spell or something, like at the warehouse? To keep that crazy influx more manageable?"

Kenrid took a step back, putting more space between them. "I think I can find a way to contain the magic into an object." He tapped a finger on his chin. "Like a talisman or artifact or something. Maybe even make it with specific intent, like an enchantment. I'm not the best enchanter, but I know the basics."

His eyes became unfocused, and I smiled. Kenrid loved an intellectual challenge. He was right. It would be the perfect use for the power we created, if he could find a way to harness it.

Kenrid continued mumbling to himself as he headed to the door. Lorna shook her head and sighed.

"I can't even be mad about him just walking away," she said. "I talk to myself like that all the time."

I strolled up beside her and placed my hand on her lower back. She stiffened for a second, then leaned into my touch.

"It's good to see his mind working on something positive," I said. "It's been a long time since he's been completely engaged like that."

She turned slowly and placed both her hands on my chest. For a brief moment, I worried that she would push me away, but the look she gave me wiped away my concerns.